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April 1, 2013

IAMX – The Unified Field: Viva Music Album Review

iamx_the_unified_field_2013_cover

Oana Dorobantu for VIVA MUSIC 

Tracklist:  “I Come With Knives” * “Sorrow” * “The Unified Field” * “The Adrenalin Room” * “Quiet the Mind” * “Under Atomic Skies” * “Screams” * “Come Home” * “Animal Impulses” * “Walk With The Noise” * “Land of Broken Promises” * “Trials” *

Release Date: PledgeMusic – International 22-Mar.

About IAMX: IAMX  is Sneaker Pimps’ frontman Chris Corner’s multimedia project, a melting pot of music and visual art experiments. Bordering somewhere between dark and sensual electro with an agressive or nostalgic beat, IAMX has been the talk of the town since its debut in 2004. Come 2013, the project has more unified aural and visual roots which stand up to the test with this new album based on the scientific theory of a universal consciousness that binds all people together. Chris Corner has stated that in this body of work he is attempting to “accept human nature for what it is and learn to love it”. Not an easy task, but when creative juices are pumping and flowing, the end result is both mesmerizing and challenging.

IAMX: “THE UNIFIED FIELD” – VIVA MUSIC REVIEW:

Right off the bat one of our most contemplated upon releases in 2013 was the new IAMX album. With every release, this band raises the bar higher and higher for their scene and it never stays in the studio. The creative force behind IAMX is one encompassing music production, visual aesthetics, and powerful performances that make you yearn for more. After 2011’s Volatile Times, both the album and the associated tour left audiences everywhere with a sugar tooth that wouldn’t stop aching. With “The Unified Field“, Chris Corner delivered big time on a promise he silently made to his fans everywhere – a promise to never be forgotten.  (more…)

December 19, 2011

2011: A Music Year in Review (Viva Music version)

2011 was a great year for our scene. Just a quick roundup of the acts and artists who released new material this year is sufficient to give you an impression, however fleeting, of the great tumult the scene has caused and the important additions 2011 has brought to our playlists. New releases from VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Haujobb, Sopor Aeternus, Covenant, Kirlian Camera and Diary of Dreams kept music lovers on edge and numerous other releases made their days worthwhile throughout the year.

In 2011, Viva Music had the pleasure and honor to listen to and review some 100 albums. In order to read our reviews, you can go to the menu and pick Album Reviews from the Interviews & Reviews section, or navigate using the right-hand visual cover flow. Pluses between brackets in the article lead you to the featured reviews.

Readers’ choice in terms of number of Facebook likes indicate Apoptygma Berzerk’s “Black EP vo.2” (+), Global Citizen’s “Nil by Mouth” (+), Haujobb’s “New World March” (+), The Cruxshadows’ “Valkyrie” (+), Ghost and Writer’s “Shipwrecks” (+), Autodafeh’s “Act of Faith” (+), Tenek’s “EP2” (+), Shiv-r’s “This World Erase” (+) and Covenant’s “Modern Ruin” (+) as top favorites. We have no doubt it was the beauty of the respective albums and not of our reviews that kept them up in the charts!

With numerous releases, the appreciation of the public was unanimous. It was an honor to have around VNV Nation’s “Automatic” (+), Kirlian Camera’s “Nightglory” (+), Diary of Dreams’ “Ego:X” (+),  Sopor Aeternus’ “Children of the Corn” (+), Aesthetic Perfection’s “All Beauty Destroyed” (+), KMFDM’s “WTF?!” (+), And One’s “Tanzomat” (+), Sin D.N.A.’s “Afterlife” (+), Lowe’s “Evolver” (+), IAMX’s “Volatile Times”, Imperative Reaction’s “Imperative Reaction” (+), Necro Facility’s “Wintermute” (+), Amduscia’s “Death Thou Shalt Die” (+), and System Syn’s “All Seasons Pass” (+ ).

No less impeccable and listenable in a loop proved to be a set of albums which, should you have missed them, are up on your shopping list next time you hit a record store. Ad Inferna’s “There Is No Cure” (+), The Pain Machinery’s “Surveillance Culture” (+), God Module’s “Seance” (+), Mona Mur & En Esch’s “Do with Me What You Want” (+), Leaetherstrip’s “Untold Stories” (+), Vic Anselmo’s “In My Fragile” (+), Solar Fake’s “Frontiers” (+), Mina Harker’s “Bittersuess” (+), Lahannya’s “Dystopia” (+), and Lord of the Lost’s “Antagony” (+).

Special mention should be made of Romanian wonders LeVant’s “Beyond the Masque of Eden” (+) and Brazda lui Novac’s “Dizzy” (+).

Let us not forget the beautiful events we were invited to attend, and had the pleasure to experience in 2011. We provided detailed footage both under the guise of reviews and photo galleries at Amphi Festival (+), Nordstern Festival (+), and Nocturnal Culture Night (+). In 2012, we intend to attend to more such events and keep you posted on our beautiful and dynamic scene.

As Viva Music we also organized our own events in Bucharest. You can take a look at the feedback we received for the third edition of our Darkwave.ro Festival (with Tenek, Rabia Sorda and Project Pitchfork, +), for our Combichrist (+) and Kirlian Camera (+) concerts, as well as for our support for the first Nine Inch Nails Tribute in Bucharest (+). We do our best to keep our scene alive and the response we get is always heart-warming and positive.

 

What was your favorite release in 2011? And what are you looking forward to in 2012?

September 19, 2011

IAMX “Volatile Times” Single Release on Sep-23. Watch the video and the single teaser!

After “Ghosts of Utopia” and “Bernadette” (read Viva Music‘s review here), “Volatile Times” is the third single release from the homonymous 2011 album from IAMX. The release on Sep-23 will be made both as a phyisical package and a digital download. The lucky ones who pre-order will get hand signed copies from the man behind IAMX himself, Chris Corner.

The tracklist of the single is already known, though slight variations in track order may occur before the release: “Volatile Times (IAMseX UNFALL Rework)” * “Volatile Times (Clayton Worbeck Mix)” *”Volatile Times (Glen STRANGERS Trip Wave Remix)” * “Volatile Times (Noblesse Oblige Remix)“.

The single release is preceded by the video release for “Volatile Times” last Friday, as well as by a single and new tour (Into the Asylum – October 2011) teaser, both of which you can watch below. (more…)

August 9, 2011

IAMX – “Bernadette” Single – Viva Music Review

With the release of the next song for consumption I want to talk about a person of great importance to me. A child of the infinite and a woman I will always adore. The timeless Bernadette. Curious, fragile, stubborn, beautiful, demonic. And in need of a little protection”. (Chris Corner on the release of “Bernadette; read Bernadette’s story here).

Tracklist:

Bernadette (Radio Edit)” * “Bernadette (Radio Edit Deutsch)” * “Bernadette (Post Romanian Storm)” * “Bernadette (Headfuck Collage)” * “Bernadette (Intrumental)

Read Viva Music’s Artist of the Month July entry on IAMX in English here and in Romanian here | We at Viva Music are very happy and proud to have been quoted by IAMX’s official website on their “Bernadette” single press release!

The official release of the track on IAMX’s website on July-29:

“Hello, beautiful people,

We are proud to announce today’s release of our next promotional track from the current IAMX album “Volatile Times”. The “Bernadette” package is only available digitally through iamx.eu and includes the long awaited German version and an exclusive emotional rework by Chris. A quote from a recent article on the track:

The fact that IAMX speaks on so many levels to so many people is understandable. If the level of artistic dialogue is moved from everyday to the rough primeval and unaffiliated spiritual, words run deep and speak to crowds before they do to individuals. “Bernadette”, the second IAMX single from their critically acclaimed album, “Volatile Times”, is an example to the point, and illustrates the more personal touch of IAMX music.

The amazing video for the track, directed and edited by Berliner a nice idea every day, has been premiered on our YouTube channel along with an interesting re-edit for the German version done by Chris Corner himself. Both again available for download at our web site.“

Order the digital release of the single “Bernadettehere

IAMX – “Bernadette’ – Viva Music Review:

Bernadette” is an intriguing track, though on first listening “Volatile Times” for the first time, it is hard to say whether we at Viva Music have or not singled it out as a potential single release from IAMX. However, now that it is out, it is easy to see through the safe choice of releasing “Bernadette” as a single. Starting from the nice radio edit, which is known to everyone who has listened to “Volatile Times” before; and which strikes such a distinct chord in the albums’ body; the single release is full of artistic ruse and feeling. “Bernadette (Radio Edit Deutsch)” is as the title goes, a German language rework of the original track, which does not abstract anything from the track’s greatness, and somehow, stereotypically at least, adds the cadence of the German language to the already well-defined line of the melody. (more…)

July 12, 2011

Nordstern Festival, Hamburg, 08&09-July 2011: Viva Music Review

 

Viva Music wants to thank Neuwerk Music Management and all the participants in the first edition of Nordstern Festival for an awesome experience. Let’s do it again!

Day One (below) | Day Two

Day One: July-08, 2011 Nordstern Festival @Markthalle

 The venue | SLAVE REPUBLIC | ARCHITECT | KLANGSTABIL | EMPIRION | FROZEN PLASMA | SONO

The venue

Hamburg’s own dark and electro festival debuted with a first evening in the generous venue of Markthalle. With a good club and concert venue layout, Markthalle proved not only to be a very accessible location (in the immediate vicinity of Hamburg’s central train station and with a myriad of means of transportation within reach of the avid concert-goer), but also a plausible choice for the size of the event and the needs of the audience. Bedecked with a no-wait bar, food stand, coatroom and merchandise stands, the venue was impressive, with good acoustics and a wonderful coordination of sound and lighting, thanks to Neuwerk’s team of skilled professionals. Though the 2-day festival passes were sold out before even the event kicked off, the management made a few 1-day tickets available at the front counter, so that late-comers to the festival could enjoy it, too.  back to top (more…)

February 23, 2011

Top 10 Combichrist Remixes to Look Out for

COMBICHRIST have evinced from their early stage an interest in, and a knack of remixing other artists’ tracks. Their remixing strategies have been honed all the time, to the result of having at least 100 known tracks credited to their remodeling genius. Below you find VIVA MUSIC’s top 10 COMBICHRIST remixes: a series of scintillating tracks that gain more danceability and subtle rhythm alterations that carry the unmistakable COMBICHRIST trademark.

(more…)

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